The No. 21 Georgia Gwinnett softball team provided head coach Kat Ihlenburg with the 100th victory in the short history of the Grizzly program with a doubleheader sweep of Faulkner (Ala.) on Saturday at the Grizzly Softball Complex in Lawrenceville.
The 9-6 and 6-2 victories came against an Eagles squad that GGC also defeated for its very first win in program history back on Feb. 9, 2013.
Saturday's game two victory was also a milestone for senior pitcher Ashley Beyke, who notched her 50th career win in the circle. The Franklin, Tenn., native is just one of two Grizzlies to have played in all four of the program's seasons.
The Grizzlies' other fourth-year senior, catcher Alycia Fields from Elk Grove, Calif., finished Saturday with three RBIs, two hits and a run scored.
Georgia Gwinnett belted 23 hits on the day to reach 4-0 at home on the season and 6-2 overall. Faulkner, receiving votes nationally, fell to 0-2.
"This is a great milestone for our entire program," said Ihlenburg following the game.
Game One- GGC 9, Faulkner 6
The Grizzlies opened a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but trailed 5-4 entering the bottom of the fifth as the Faulkner offense got going. Georgia Gwinnett snatched the back-and-forth affair by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth to break a 6-6 tie and seal the victory. The GGC offense belted five doubles in the game as Fields, Alyssa Hathcoat and Tori Heinemann each had two hits apiece. GGC starter Katie Lange (1-1) picked up the win in the circle with three innings of quality relief for freshman starter Taylor Hansis, who struck out four and surrendered just two earned runs in 4.0 innings.
Game Two- GGC 6, Faulkner 2
Beyke (4-0) ran her career record to 50-26 in game two with a complete-game effort, allowing just one earned run and three hits while striking out four. The Grizzlies trailed 2-1 entering the bottom of the third, but scored five unanswered runs over the next four innings to claim the 6-2 win. Freshman Elyssa Melton homered and went 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored to lead the offense, while Brashante Dareus had a game-high three RBIs.
The Grizzlies improve to 3-4 all-time against the Lady Eagles with today's victories.
Up next for the GGC softball team are match ups against WVU Institute of Technology and Brenau (Ga.). The Grizzlies host both teams on Saturday, Feb. 20 in single game sets. GGC will face WVU Tech at 11:00 a.m. and Brenau at 4:00 p.m.
Tickets for Saturday's action are $5 for adults, $3 for youth, seniors, and military, and free for children under five. All members of the GGC community receive free admission with their Claw Card. Season ticket packages are also on sale for all regular season contests. For more information on ticketing, click here. Free game day parking is available in the deck at the entrance to the GGC campus.
Game Day Central
Live stat links:
GGC vs. WVU Tech: http://bit.ly/1LntXzp
GGC vs. Brenau: http://bit.ly/1mzHhdJ
For all the latest on Grizzly Athletics, including news, scores and features, visit GrizzlyAthletics.com. Check out all the latest Grizzly Softball content and join the conversation by using #GGCSoftball on Twitter.
